The Business of Changing Lives

When our co-founders established ThriftSmart 10 years ago, it was rooted in the belief that through creating jobs, serving families and supporting local charities, this business could really change people’s lives. Nyamal Pal’s story epitomizes this reality.

Nyamal, a former sales associate at our Franklin store, begins her new chapter as a freshman at New York University today, where she received a full-tuition scholarship for first-generation college students.

Nyamal and her family were war refugees from Sudan who resettled in Nashville when she was a child. The path for refugees is never an easy one, but through Nyamal’s determination and an interwoven network of community support, her future is bright.

Nyamal’s family came to Nashville through the help of World Relief and a local sponsoring family. She attended New Hope Academy on scholarship and for years she was a patient at Mercy Community Healthcare, both organizations supported through ThriftSmart profits. Her family purchased a home through our friends at Habitat for Humanity Williamson-Maury. Last spring, Nyamal started working with us at ThriftSmart. Only then did she realize the impact our stores have had on her life through the organizations we support.

To read more about Nyamal’s story, check out this recent Tennessean article.

It’s been our privilege to support this amazing young woman on her journey, both by employing her at our store and supporting our partners New Hope Academy and Mercy Community Healthcare who have been instrumental in her success. None of this would be possible without a community who shops, donates and volunteers at our stores.

Thank you, Middle Tennessee, for enabling us to change lives like Nyamal’s through this business.